I was at Wonky Widgets (yes I changed the name) the other day buying one of their Widgets and I used the CityGro Kiosk on their counter to check in. This particular business offered a loyalty feature through the Kiosk which, admittedly, is one of the greatest strengths of the Kiosk. Of course I pretended that I had never seen it before and asked all about it. The employee told me a few things and seemed pretty exited and upbeat about this new device on the countertop. I was pleased with how smooth and quick the transaction went.

But…one thing I found ironic about this process was that despite how excited I had acted about it…immediately after I finished checking in, the employee handed me a “20% off my next visit to Wonky Widgets” card. I can’t help but ask: Why? I’m just going to throw that card in the cup holder of my car and wish I had it 2 months later…long after it has been marred and dissolved by the condensation from the 20 different drinks that have occupied that same cup holder. Or maybe I’m going to keep it in my wallet and then look like this next time I’m at Wonky’s cash register:

I am as positive as the voltage of a cathode (depending on your reference) that the Wonky Widgets employee didn’t just hand me that 20% off coupon while secretly saying “Please, please, please don’t use this.” They would still make money even if I’m paying 80% for a Widget. The only problem is that I am really hungry for a Widget right now but I don’t want to pay 100%…and the Wonky’s employee isn’t just going to take my word for it that I had a valid coupon and now I don’t. So I find myself fidgeting and blogging instead.

CityGro automates the process I’ve been talking about. Yes, it makes it automatic. Consumers no longer need to carry their coupons and loyalty cards around with them. All they need is a finger and a phone number. Also keep in mind that the usefulness of the Kiosk is directly proportional to the data it captures. Because of this, it’s advantageous to your business (and also the consumer) to use the many supplemental features of the Kiosk to facilitate loyalty, communication and organization. Some features that could have been used in the above situation are the ability for offers to be used only once, or the ability to hide an offer until a certain number of checkins/points were reached, or only good on the first checkin,or sending a reminder text message after 2 weeks of not checking in.

Use your imagination. Ask yourself “How can I get rid of all of my loyalty cards and instead manage them on the kiosk?” We want to know if you have a loyalty card or offer that can’t be better facilitated by our system. We add new features every day and are excited to hear your ideas.

It’s pleasing to me as a contributor to this company to see our loyalty kiosk being used, but it’s most pleasing to see it used effectively. The best way to use the Kiosk is to make it automatic. You, the owner of a business (or 5), don’t have the time to log in to CityGro and manage your messages, offers, and subscribers twice a day (although some people do). You may look at it once every week or month as your network of subscribers slowly increases. Let us take care of the day to day work and remind your customers that they can have 20% off their Widget next time they come in. Not only will they get the discount they want, but when we send an automatic text message exactly 14 days after their last visit that has their name and a discount on what they bought last time, you’ll make more money because more people will be receiving that discount who would not have otherwise come in.

October 10th 2016 – October is when the seasons change and the holidays begin! It’s the month to dress up, bundle up, drink hot chocolate, and nibble on loads of candy. It’s also a great month to promote businesses, increase followers, and get some[...]